Logically Speaking
by Rita the writer
Summary: A/U where Tris and Caleb discuss their aptitude test results and this influences her final decision. Most of the characters in the series will still be introduced, but only in a later stage and different way
1. Chapter 1

What if Beatrice talked to Caleb about her divergence and they chose erudite together? Feel free to review, I don't mind criticism. Thank you for reading

" Are you going to tell me the truth now?" he asks softly.

" The truth is," I say, " I'm not supposed to discuss it and you're not supposed to ask."

'All those rules you bend, and you can't bend this one? Not even for something this important?" His eyebrows tug together and he bites the corner of his lip, he hesitates slightly and then says in a softer tone, " I actually want to talk to you about my result too."

" We're not supposed to do that."

"I know but I..." he hesitates, " I need to talk to someone before I make this decision."

I think about it. Can I trust him? Tori told me to tell nobody, but Caleb is my brother, he has been my constant companion while growing up. If I can't trust Caleb, who can I trust?

" We can talk after dinner." I say, turning toward the kitchen. It's my turn to cook dinner tonight. Caleb joins me and together, we cook what might be the last meal we eat as a family.

After dinner when we head upstairs to our rooms, and Caleb gestures for me to enter his. I go sit at the edge of his bed as he shuts his door. His room is tidy, with a big stack of books on his desk. He lowers himself into his desk chair and faces me, with his hands clasped in front of him.

" I think I'm going to transfer to Erudite." he says softly.

I stare at him in disbelief, unable to form a comprehensible answer. Caleb, born for Abnegation, wants to transfer? To Erudite of all factions...

"I have tried all my life to be the perfect Abnegation member. I have studied those around me and tried to think what the most selfless thing to do would be in all situations. I have done everything I can to lead a selfless life, but the simple truth is that I hate it. I act selfless, but I do not value selflessness above all else, I don't want to forget myself, I don't want to be invisible. I want to know who I am. I want to know how the world works and I want to learn as many new things as I possibly can. My head is filled with thousands of questions, but if I stay here I will have to stifle them. I don't want to do that Beatrice. I can't." He delivers this whole speech in a low tone, but I can see him getting more agitated with every word he says.

" I can't believe it. I've always tried to be selfless by imitating you, and now you tell me that you can't be Abnegation."

" I know," he runs his hands through his hair. " Look, my entire life, I have tried to act the way I'm supposed to, but I have always felt the thirst for knowledge pulling me away from this life. My aptitude test only confirmed what I knew, that I wasn't acting selfless because it was a trait I value, I acted selfless, because I knew that it was my best option. I analysed our way of life, and I came to the conclusion that I have to act this way. I am an Erudite. I evaluate situations and then do the most logical thing."

" You're really going to leave," I say, realizing that he would see it as the most logical path.

" Yes. What about you? Beatrice, what happened with your aptitude test?"

I grow pale. Caleb has just trusted me with what might just be his biggest secret. It was only fair that I trust him with the knowledge of my divergence.

" You have to promise me that you will never, ever tell a living soul. This could cost me my life Caleb." up till now his expression had been contemplative, and mildly agitated, but upon hearing my words he frowns deeply.

" Why?"

"Promise me." I say, gritting my teeth.

" I promise Beatrice."

" My results," I take a deep breath and lower my voice to barely a whisper, " were inconclusive." his eyes grow wide and he moves closer to me.

" You're divergent?" he asks quietly, searching my face.

" Yes." I look down.

" Which factions did you display an aptitude for?"

" Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite."

" what are you going to do?"

" I don't know!" I say loudly, then realising my parents could hear us I lower my voice, "I don't know. I don't fit in here, but our parents will need someone to stay with them." Caleb looks like he is about to argue but stays silent and lets me finish, " Despite that, I don't think I can stay. I ruled out Erudite easily, but I have always felt drawn to Dauntless"

" Dauntless? Beatrice, are you completely insane? Do you have any idea what Dauntless is like?"

" What do you mean?"

" They have the highest rate of initiation drop out rates. I don't know what happens during their initiation but I can assure you that there are things more dangerous than jumping out of moving trains there. They might seem wild and free to you, but I can assure you that they are a vicious, cruel faction."

" You make them sound like animals."

" I just want to protect you."

" Then what do you want me to do?" I ask

" Come with me to Erudite." my eyes grow wide. doing so would be an act of betrayal against my faction and my parents. Two children of an Abnegation leader transferring to Erudite, would only add fuel to the fire between the two factions. sensing my hesitation, Caleb grabs my hand and looks into my eyes.

"Beatrice, divergence is dangerous, and no faction has less trouble killing than Dauntless has. You and I both know that you don't belong in Abnegation. I also know that there is tension between Abnegation and Erudite, but keep in mind that we have only heard one side of the story. Erudite offers you the widest choice of future careers. I know you, You are a curious person Beatrice, in Erudite, that curiosity will be seen as a good thing, not as a disgrace." he is right. I know that he is right, but I can't bring myself to agree

" I'll think bout it, I say, pulling my hands free and getting up to leave.

" Good night Caleb." he sighs.

" Good night Beatrice." I silently enter the hallway and then my room. That night I lay awake in bed, silently mulling over my options. Will I please my parents by being abnegation? Will I betray them and make my brother happy and transfer to Erudite with him, or will I risk everything, including my life and transfer to Dauntless, for no better reason than my fascination with them?


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N this chapter isn't too great and might be a bit repetitive, but the next ones will hopefully get better. Tris and Caleb are gong to have a much closer relationship in this story. I'm writing it, because I liked Caleb and always wished he didn't betray his sister or that they would make , when I first read the factions I saw myself as an Erudite and I think that without Jeanine they could have been a great faction. Please review, and thank you for your support.**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. Obviously.]**

* * *

Chapter 2:  
I don't get any sleep in at all that night. when he sun starts rising I sit at my window, staring at the colours it paints the clouds. When I hear everyone else starting to stir, I go shower and ge

t dressed. when I go downstairs I see my father preparing breakfast and feel I guilty pang. I don't want to betray him, but hours of mulling over my decisions have made me think that it might be my best option.

"Good morning sweetheart. Sleep well?"  
" Good morning dad. Yes thank you." I lie, I'm obviously not cut out for Candor.  
I help my father prepare scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. the morning passes in a blur and soon enough it's time to go. We walk to the bus stop, my father and mother in front with Caleb and I trailing behind them. He gives my shoulder a bump and gives me a questioning gaze. I give him a halfhearted smile and continue walking. At first I felt mad at him, it feels as if he has been lying to me and to everyone else for my entire life. I can still hardly believe that he sees himself as an Erudite, but last night I remembered small instances from our childhood, convincing me that he did belong there. Maybe I did too, or maybe my divergence meant that I didn't belong anywhere.

I barely pay attention on the bus ride to the hub, too caught up in my internal dilemma. When we go inside, we give our place in the elevator to a bunch of people from Amity, and soon enough I'm climbing flights of stairs along with the rest of Abnegation. With every step I repeat to myself, if I chose Abnegation, I will constantly struggle, if I chose Dauntless, I might not survive, if I chose Erudite I am a traitor. Then again, if I chose Abnegation, my parents will be proud, if I chose Dauntless, I will be free, if choose Erudite, my brother will be with me. I could still be free in Erudite, but my parents will be disappointed in me.

We reach the room that the choosing ceremony will be held in. We go to the front and my parents hug me before going to their seats.  
" I love you, no matter what." my mother whispers into my hair. I want to believe her, but I can't. She holds me for a long time and then goes to her seat. The choosing ceremony is a different faction's responsibility every year. This year it's Abnegation's turn. I try to focus as Marcus Eaton takes the stage.  
" Welcome. Welcome to the choosing ceremony. Welcome to the day we honour the democratic philosophy of our ancestors, which tells us that every man has the right to choose his own way in the world." We officially have five choices. To some it is two, the faction you were born in or the one you have an aptitude for. Many only have one because they were born where they belong. I have three. "Our dependents are now sixteen. They stand on the precipice of adulthood, and it is now up to them to decide what kind of people they will be." I don't know who I want to be.  
"Decades ago our ancestors realized that it is not political ideology, religious belief, race or nationalism that was to blame for a warring world. Rather they determined that it was human personality- humankind's inclination towards evil, in whatever form that is. They divided into factions hat sought to eradicate those qualities they believed responsible for the world's disarray. Those who blamed aggression formed Amity." The Amity members smile. I guess there is a beauty to their way of life, but I would never fit in.

"Those who blamed ignorance became Erudite." I don't want to be ignorant, but I don't want to be a traitor either.

"Those who blamed duplicity created Candor." I could never be Candor.

"Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation"Selfishness is a horrible trait, I know it, but I am selfish. Does that mean I don't belong in the faction I grew up in?  
"And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless." I don't want to be a coward. I want to be free and wild like the Dauntless are, but they are so dangerous, and I am so weak.

"Working together, these five faction have lived together in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law;Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counsellors and caretakers; and Dauntless protects us from threats, both from within and without. But the reach of each faction isn't limited to these areas. We give each other far more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life." Where will my life have purpose and meaning? Where do I belong?  
" Apart from them, we would not survive." I just don't want to be factionless. The heavy silence in the room assures me that my fear is shared by many.  
"Therefore this day marks a happy occasion, the day on which we receive our new initiates who will work with us towards a better society and a better world." Marcus starts calling the names in reverse alphabetical order. Caleb grips my hand and smiles at me. I smile back weakly. I do love my brother. I still feel that he is betraying our family, but I also realise that if he doesn't he'll be betraying himself. As the initiates go up one by one and spill their blood into the faction bowl of their choice, I realise that this isn't about family, this is about being true to yourself and following the path that you belong on. I don't belong in Abnegation. I have always been fascinated by Dauntless. If I take my family out of consideration, I have no reason not to be Erudite.

"Caleb Prior." Caleb squeezes my hand once before letting go and walking u to the stage. He takes the knife Marcus offers him and cuts across his palm. Then letting out a breath, he lets his blood drip into the water. He has chosen. I am next. Will I let my blood mingle with the water and my brother's? Or should I let it sizzle over the Dauntless coals?  
When my name is called I walk shakily to the stage. I can see that my parents are still shocked over Caleb's choice. I try not to look at them. I drag the knife across my palm and as the blood pools in my hand, my eyes meet Caleb's. No matter what I do, I will lose and disappoint my parents, but that doesn't mean I have to lose my entire family. I let my blood flow with the water.


End file.
